The Use of Crossword Puzzles as a Vocabulary Learning Strategy: A Case of English as Second Language in Kenyan Secondary Schools

Abstract

This paper focuses on the application of crossword puzzles in the teaching of vocabulary in English as Second Language (ESL) classrooms. A pre-test was used to measure the learners’ previous knowledge of English vocabulary in a Form 2 class. The pre- test was marked and recorded. A comprehension passage was composed by the researchers and read by both the control and experimental classes. While the control class was exposed to the Traditional Lexical Pedagogy in the teaching of vocabulary the experimental cohort was exposed to a crossword puzzle. A post-test was administered at the end of the study to measure whether there was a significant difference in scores between the experimental and control groups. The scores were tabulated and analyzed quantitatively using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences and emerging patterns discussed. Levene's Test for Equality of Variances was then employed. The general finding is that the use of crossword puzzles in the teaching of English as Second Language is an effective strategy of vocabulary instruction. The study concludes that the use of crossword puzzles is of pedagogical significance as it helps learners enlarge vocabulary and deepen their mastery of the English lexis.